Apparatus for cleaning surfaces



Sept. 20, 1932. 5, w I 1,878,560

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SURFACES Filed Dec 6, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 1PEESL/EE 64 5 Sept. 20, 1932. s. A. WIER 1,878,560

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SURFACES Filed Dec. 6, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi A2/ z 35' 78 ZA /5 A Z5 39 o I3 gwventoz Sept. 20, 1932. s, w E 1,878,560

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SURFACES Filed Dec. 6, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I vMM *nnirsa stares rarest-f Patented Sept. 2c, 1932 Lenses saunas awrnn,or nALLAs; Texas, Assrenon TO TRIDEX ooriron nrron', or nAt As; TEXAS, aCORPORATION or, DELAWARE 1 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SURFACES' Applicationfiled DecemberG, 1928. Serial No. 324,229.

r This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus forcleaning sur-" faces. l

One object of the invention is to make certain improvements'andadvancesover the apparatusset forth in my copending application' filed February14', 1927, Serial No. 168,- 161,.which issued as Patent No. 1,766,088,June 24, 1930.

r A particular object of the invention is to provide an' atomizer inconnection with solu-- tion, steam andhot water discharge pipes, wherebythese fluids are all brought tea commonpoint o1"- admixture-and causedto flow in steady streams with little or no fluctuation.

r it. further object of the invention is to provide means whereby steamis constantly sup.- plied while the apparatus is operating and means forcutting off the supply of steam eliminated, thus making the apparatusmore efiicient and safe to operate. 7 I

Another object of the invention is to provide a by-passing hot'watersupply valve, whereby asupply of hot water will be had at all timeswhile the operator is operating and which cannot be cut oii, thusassuring a dilution of the detergent solution and preven inn the use oftoo rich a solution.

till another object of the invention is to provide a steam coil anddischarge pipe connection, whereby less impedance to the flow of steamisofiered. 7 i

still further object of the invention is to provide means for condensingor concentrating' the admixture of detergent solution, steam and hotwater andsuddenly expandingthe same, for more thoroughly admixing thefluids. i I Another obj ect of the invention is to connect. the rubberor other discharge hose or conductor with the atomizer by means of aflexible metallic hose, whereby a flexible and durablejoint connectionis mad e and also whereby some of the heat will be dissipated.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, toget-her with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood irom a reading of thefollowing specification and b reference to the accom an in y P gdrawings, in. which an example of the inven- 7 tion is shown, andwherein V Fig. 1 is an elevationof an apparatus c011 structed inaccordance with the invention,

, F ig. 3 is a view partially in elevation and partially in section ofthe apparatus. shown g- 4 3 S milar view at right angles to Fig. 3, p

Fig. 5 is a plan view, I I 1 1 Fig. 6 is a planview of the generation Fi.7 is'an elevation of thesarnefv I Fig. 8 -is apartial verticalse'ctional view of the apparatus,

Fig. is an elevation angles to Fig. 9 is a detail showing t hot ,waterand steam pipes reversed, v

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatical view of the apparatus, and

Ffgnll is a detail of thehot water valve showing the by-pass. V i In thedrawings the numeral 10 designates" a vertical cylindrical metal-jacket0t suit able construction'mounted on an annular base 11 having aplurality of draft openings 11'. A suitable fuel burner 12 is supportedin the'lower portion of the aclret just above 7 the base Any kind offire or heatingmeans suitable for the purpose may be'employed. Thejacket has a lining lg of asbestos or equivalent material Figs?) and 4)which extends from the top. of the ja-cket 'to a point below theoutletsof the burner. 3 f

Within the jacket is disposed a coiled steam and hot water generatorunit14;.' This unit includes'a central Vertical watercolumn 15 closed ateachend, but having a cleanout cap 15 atits top. 7 A water inlet pipe 16extends into vthe jacket and includes a controlling valve 17. Forsuccessful operation, water must be supplied: at, substantially the samepressure which is maintained ii -the genera: tor. The pipe 16. isconnected to the upper end of avertical pre heating coiljlS. (Figs. 3, 6 and8) and the lower'end of the coil en'- ters and supplies water totheilowerendof the column15l e The pro-heated water r'isesinthe column15 and supplies-warm water to thelower ends of circulating coils 19, ofwhich I have shown five. The circulating coils have their lower endsconnected to the lower end of the column while their upper ends areconnected to the upper endof said column.

Water flows from the column into'the lower ends of the circulating coilsand is vaporized and converted into steam in the upper. portions of saidcoils, whereby steam is discharged into the toploftlie column. Iti' isobvious that such steam is saturated or wet. If suflicient waterissupplied; the coils 19 will contain only water and thus hot water andhotsteam would be discharged. into the top of the column 15. A pair ofsteam coils 20. are connectedat 3 their upper'ends to-the upper end' ofthe col mun-'15 so as to receive saturatedsteam or hot water from saidcolumn.' The lower ends of these coilsare secured'in a Y-coupling 21whereby both steam coils may be connected:

to a common steam dischargepipe 22 leading through" the side of thejacket, A hot water discharge pipe 23 leads from the bottom of" thecolumn through the acket lO'of the device. An overflow pipe 2 L extendsfrom the top of the column 15 through the top of the jacket 10, Thepipes22 and 23 extend through an escutcheon casting 23, thus forming atight joint with the jacket 10.

A pickup pipe 25 extends downinto the column 15 an'd'has its upper endconnected toa dischargepipe 26which. extends from the Thevarious pipesmaintain the generator, which latter is composed of the/coils andv thewater column, in position in the j acket, but if desiredadditional'fastenings maybe supp ie It is P e rab e o arr ng h u e 12 sothat the flame will be directed upwardly through the coils and aroundthe column 15.

provides for a direct heating of the coils'as well; as thoseportionsiofithe pipes 22and' 2 3 inthe pathof saidfiames. A conicalcover 31 ismounted' on the top of the iaek ti ndha af entra 1 r r 1 esin i a' ch mn y if de e h eove'r'31, may have a slip connection with.the jacket so as to be readily removed ifdesired.

The pipe 27 is extended into the upper portion of a detergent tank 31,which is suitably fastened to the upper portion" of. the jacket, as bybra'ckets 32. It is important 2 that thetank be'rig idly attached and itis desirable that it be close to the jacket so as to provide a compactstructure. A cap 34 is screwed into the top of the tank and may beremoved for introducing soap or any other detergent, such as liquidhydrocarbons of kerosene type, washingpowders, caustic alkali and thelike. A relief cock 33 is connected to the upper end of the tank andwhen it is desired to recharge said tank the valve '30n1ay be closed andthe cock opened, where-' by pressure within the tank is released. Thepipe2' 7 is terminated near the bottom of the tank so as to deliver thehot fluid at the bottom of the'charge, thus agitating and heating thecharge when said fluid rises in the tank. A'cleanout plug 34 is securedinthe bottom of the tank.

The pickup pipe 25 may vary in length. If it is, desired to deliver hotwater tothe tank" 31, then-the pipe 25 must extend low enough in thecolumn to be constantlyim niersed in water ;.but if it is desired todeliver saturated steam to said tank, then the lower end of the pipe 25should not be immersed inwater. Itis obviousthat the height at which thewater stands in the column 15 will depend largely upon the amount ofwater supplied to the generator and the pressure within the same; Asthere is considerable variation in this step of the method, it isobviousthat the hot'fi'uid supplied to the tank mayeither be a liquidorsaturated steam,

The solution whichfiows from the tank 31 will be, of course, hot and itscharacter will depend upon the particular'detergent used. A solutiondischarge pipe 35 is connected at its upperend with a hand valve 36,whichin turn is connected into the side of the tank 31 just above thebowl bottom thereof." This arrangement permits sediment and foreignmatter to settle in the bottom of the tank without beingdrawnfofi'through said valve. The lower end of the discharge pipe 35 issuitably connected with the upper end of an atomizedbody 375.1 Thisatomizer'forms the subject matter of a separate application filed byCharles S. Crickmer, May 5, 1928, Serial No. 275,355, and, therefore,will only be described in a general way. f

The steam pipe 22 is connected to a branch 22 (Fig. 2) which in turn isconnected to the upper end of the atomizer body 37. There is no valve ineither of these pipes and, therefore, thesteam from the coils may passdirectly into the atomizer. The hot water pipe 23 is connected with avalve '38 which is connectedat one sideiwith the atomizer below the pipe22." The hot water valve has a by-pass port 38, as is'shown in Fig. 11,that 'when said valve is moved to its fully closed position, a smallwater passage will be left open. The operator is prevented by thisarrangement fromentirely cutting off thesupply of hot water and thusobviating too rich a detergent mixture.

The hot detergent solution flowing by gravity in a body is dischargedinto the atomizer where it is impelled downwardly bythe steam anddiluted by the hot water.

' The pipe is connected to the atomizer body by a union 35.. Thesolution is delivered to a jet 22a extending into a nozzle 23a withinthe body .37. The steamenters around the jet, while the hot water entersaround the nozzle, the entrances being separated by the nozzle. henozzle discharges into the bowl bottom of the body which has an orifice39 through which the fluids are discharged into the bowl 39. Theintroduction'of the hot water is very important for the reason that anover-rich detergent solution may be formed in the tank 31 and diluted tothe proper consistency by the hot water from the pipe 23. This enablesthe operator to use the machine for a longer period without replenishingthe detergent. The introduction of the hot water also has a tendency toreduce thetemperature of the steam, but without reducing its velocity.

The three fluids, that is the solution, steam and hot water, are admixedin the atomizer body which forms a common point and it is obvious thatit makes little difference whether the steam pipes and the hot waterpipes are connected as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, or if theconnection is reversed, as is shown in Fig. 9, where the hot water pipeis connected to the body 37 above the steam pipe 22. The function of thesteam is to impel the solution so as to conduct it to its point ofdischarge and while it is desirable to have suiiicient velocity it isundesirable to have high temperature, which will be hereinafter referredto.

The fluids are compressed in the lower end of the body 37 and aredischarged through the orifice 39 into the bowl 39 in which the fluidsare suddenly expanded before finai discharge from the atomizer. Thisbowl is connected with a discharge nipple 40, but the bowl could beeliminated and the nipple or any other discharge connection applieddirect to the body. The nipple is connected with a section of flexiblemetallic hose 41, which in turn is connected with a length of ordinaryrubber or other similar hose capa-- ble of conducting a hot fluid; Thehose 42 may be of any practical length and is connected at its dischargeend with a nozzle 43 having a handle 44. The nozzle 43 may have a headof any suitable construction designed to discharge the fluid in a'tinelyatom,- ized spray, it being desirable to avoid a solid stream, althoughthe head may be adjustable to emit a solid stream when it is desired todischarge water for washing purposes. a

The parts 40, 41, 42 and'43 constitute a fluid discharge conductor and,of course, may vary in construction. An advantage in employing themetallic" hose section 41 is that the same will absorb and dissipatesome of the heat of the flowing fluid, as well as permitting universalmovement without, breaking or leaking. v

In general'the operation is carried out by supplying water from the pipe1'? to the coil 18, whereby the temperature is raised and the waterpre-heated. This water is discharged into the bottom of the column 15and enters the circulating coils 19 in which it rises. If a limitedamount of water issupplied, saturated steam will be'generated in saidcoils 19 and discharged into the upper end of thecolumn 15. If a largeamount of water is supplied, hot water and not steam may be dischargedinto the column 15. If i the lower end of the pickup pipe 25 is immersedin water, hot water will be forced through said pipe, owing to thepressure within the generator, or if it is not immersed saturated Vsteam will flow up through said pipe. The hot fluid from the pipe 25will be conducted by the pipes 26 and 27 into the tank 31. The tank 31having been previously charged with a suitable detergent, the hot fluidupon entering said tank will agitate, dissolve andheat the'detergent, asthe case may-be, and thus form a hot detergent solution. This solutionwill flow out through the pipe 36 to'the atomizer 37. Saturated steampressure will be exerted throughout the generator, against the infiowingwater andwithin the tank 31, so that the liquid solution will be free toflow by gravity. 1 The pressure built up'may, as an example, be held at;seventy (70) pounds per square inch by providing a pop-ofivalve 24 inconnection with the over-. flow pipe 24, which can be set at thispressure or any other desired pressure. T 1

- I wish to make it clear and it is very important inthis operation thatthe steam be quickly generated and flow unimpeded to its work, becausethe major function of the steam is to furnish pressure for impelling thesolution to the work and, therefore, its temperature is unimportant.:Itis' not the purpose of the theory of this invention-to employ steamfor cleaning purposes. The aim is to obtain velocity rather thantemperature. The hot detergent solution delivered to the body 3'1 isadmixedwith hot water introduced by the'pipe 23 and the diluted hotsolution is conducted by the parts 41, 42 and 43 surfaces and material,capable of being Washed, may be cleanedwith the spray produced by thismethod and; Without injury.

This is due to the fact that While the detergent solution may have atemperature ranging from 1 50 degreesFahrenheit to 200 degreesFahrenheit, and. the hot water from pipe 23 may have alike temperature,and the steam or gaseous fluid may have even a higher temperature,the'higher temperature of the steam or gaseous fluid is reduced duringthe I travel of the solution to the nozzle 43 and is dissipated in thespray before reaching the Work. Also, there is not sufficient causticalkali in the spray to harm the Work. HOW- ever, if it is desired toremove paint and varnish, then instead of toilet soap, a strong.

washing powder or caustic alkali compound isuseds 7 It is quiteimportant that a generous supply of hot fluid, either Water or steam,bedesoap of ayquality equal to ordinary toilet soap is used, the mostdelicate Whatl claim, is: p

In a surface cleanmgapparatus, a genera! from thegen eratorsto thetanktheilength of the said: pipedetermining which of thefluids.

is conveyed to the tank, a discharge pipev leading from the tank forconducting a; detergent solution therefrom, a steam pipe leading fromthe generator, a hot Water pipe; leading from the generator, a flexiblemetal: lic hose connected in common with the steam pipe, hot Waterxanddischarge pipes, fififlBXIl-x ble conductor leading from'the metallichose, and a nozzle on the end, of theconductor, the, detergent solutionbeing diluted: by the hot Water and impelled through the flexible hose,conductor and nozzle by the steam, the metallic hose acting to dissipatesome of the heat of the fluids. V

In testimony Whereof'I'afliX mysigna ture.

livered to the tank 81 in order to producearel- .atively large quantityof detergent solution.

v In my United States Patent No. 1,607,034,the

steady and. regular flow.

streams of saturated steam supplied both to the detergent tank and thesuper-heating coil were substantially equal, and in developing theapparatus and evolving the present meth od Ifound it highly advantageousto produce considerably more liquid-for the tank'than for'thesteamcoi'ls. :1 s

The steam Which is conducted throughthe lqo' pipe 22;,being by reason ofits velocity, chiefly for the purpose of impellingthe detergent solutionflowing from pipe 41 and the'hot aterflowing from the pipe 23, suchsteam need not being such quantity as either the solution or the Water;it-is undesirable, unless paint is beingcremoved, to have high pressuresteam or high temperature steam in the spray which flows 7 from thenozzle, but a goodlyquantity of'hot liquid is most desirable, providedit is atom ized and is not hot enough t i paint; Bd surface, 7 a,

It is pointed out that in this apparatus steam is constantly supplied tothe atomizer and no valve is provided, thus guarding against any chanceof impeding the flow I have found that STUART A W ER-f of said steam.The atomization of the fluids 'ishighly important because itpreventsfluxation throughout the system and causesa *WVhile I have'described-theuse of Water and steam and have-illustratedan apparatus for-using suchfluids, it is clearly Within the V scope'ofthe invention to use anysuitable liquid ortoemploy any impelling fluid found 'p'ractical'andto,of course, use anapparatus x i suitable for the purpose. r

